She also helped establish the first-ever Latino/a student club at BCCC, LatinX Uni2 to affirm the presence of Spanish-speaking students at the College.

In her role as club Vice President, Maricruz is involved in public speaking, participates in fundraising activities for student scholarships and meets with graduates of Baltimore City high schools to encourage them to pursue Associate’s degrees at BCCC.

An accomplished public speaker, Maricruz spoke courageously about her support of the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) at the Immigration Rights March for Justice in Washington, D.C. on December 6.

DACA is a government program that protects persons whose undocumented parents moved them as children to the U.S. Maricruz spoke passionately about arriving in this country at the age of 15 and working diligently to build a secure life for herself and her three children.

DACA and The Maryland Dream Act have allowed her to earn a Maryland High School Diploma and pursue an affordable college education at BCCC.

Maricruz advocates for immigration rights that further goals of academic and professional success for herself and others.

Next semester, Maricruz will combine advanced ELI coursework with courses in her major to graduate from BCCC in 2020 with an Associate’s Degree in Law Enforcement. Upon completion of her AA degree, she plans to transfer to the University of Baltimore to pursue a law degree.